SUSTAINABILITY: Ecology. Civilization. . · PDF file• About 4 billion years ago • Humans emerged as a species just 200,000 years ago EARTH. One ... What happened to the trees?

SUSTAINABILITY Ecosystem. Civilization. Humans.

J.MorrisHicks

May5,2017

TheContentsofthisLectureMayChangeYour

LifeForever!

Runaway Luxury Train

Faster. More People. More Comforts.

LifebeganonEarth…

•  About4billionyearsago

•  Humansemergedasaspecies

just200,000yearsago

EARTH.Onesmallplanetamongbillionsofplanetsinourgalaxy,whichisjustoneofbillionsofgalaxiesintheuniverse.Thisisourstory...theonlyknownspeciesintheuniversewithacognitiveniche.

Puttingourtimehereinperspective

•  Ifwecrammedall4billionyearsof“life

onEarth”intojustoneyear…

•  Humanshavebeenhereforjust26

minutesofthelasthourofthatyear

20SecondsSinceChrist

FourHugeGrosslyUnsustainableSituations

1.  Overpopulation

2.  Live,work,travel&STUFF

3.  Fossilfueldependence

4.  OURFOODCHOICES

MostImportantTopicintheHistoryofHumanity

opic

Ourfoodchoicesgiveus…

HOPESingularpowerofourfoodchoicesto

PromoteHealth,HopeandHarmonyonPlanetEarth

WhatCanWe“Hope”For?

1.  Toslow,stoporreversemostchronicdisease

2.  Effortlessandpermanentweight-loss

3.  Reduceworldhunger,oceanacidification,species

extinction,waterpollutionandmuch,muchmore

4.  Returnmillionsoffarmingacreagetoforests

5.  Greatlyreduceoreliminate#1causeofclimatechange

6.  PROBLEMisthatwemayhavewaitedtoolong

CarryingCapacity

How many humans can the planet sustain indefinitely?

•  AverageEuropeanLifestyle:TWOBillion

•  AmericanLifestyle:ONEBILLION

Source:GlobalFootprintNetwork--footprintnetwork.org

InSearchof“BigPicture”Scientists

1.  Narrowfieldsofstudy

2.  Fewunderstandthe“bigpicture”

3.  Mostgetpaidbyconservativeentities

4.  “BigPicture”viewscanbehazardous

JacquesCousteau

“Humankindmay,ormaynotbe,partoftheplanthatnaturehasfortheEarthinthefuture.Lifewillbereborn,butfirsttheworldasweknowitnowwilldie.”1997at87

Frenchnavalofficer,explorer,conservationist,filmmaker,innovator,scientist,photographer,authorandresearcher

PeterWadhams,ScD

“TheIPCCisguiltyofconspiracyofcomplacency…OuronlychanceistobeginurgentlyremovingCO2

fromtheatmosphere.”2016

FrankFenner,MD,Scientist,andEnvironmentalist

"Homosapienswillbecomeextinct,perhapswithin100years…It'san

irreversiblesituation.Ithinkit'stoolate."2010atage95

GuyMcPherson,PhDTenuredProfessorofEnvironmentalStudies,U.ofArizona

“Ourdaysarenumbered…ourcivilizationwillcollapseandhumanswillgoextinctbefore

2030.”Andguesswhat?

StephenEmmott,PhD

“Weurgentlyneedtodo—andImeanactuallydo—somethingradicaltoavertaglobalcatastrophe.ButIdon’tthinkwewill.Ithinkwe’ref_____.”

ManagescomputationalscienceatMicrosoftinUK,visitingprofessoratUniv.ofOxford,managesateamofscientistswhostudyalltrendsthataffectourlives.Heendshis2013book…

BillMcKibben,Activist’82HarvardGrad,Famousforclimatechange

“Tobeentirelyhonest,wedon’tknowforsurethatwecanslowdownglobalwarmingenoughtomatter.We’ve

waitedaverylongtimetogetstarted.”FromApril2017video

Environmentalist,Author,Journalist,founded350.orgin2008andwontheGandhiPeaceAwardin2013

DataSuggestsWeHaven’tStarted

NowinUnchartedWaters

RewardsofChallengingStatusQuo

JamesHansen,“fatherofclimatechangeawareness,”callsParistalks'afraud’FormerNASAscientist,nowatColumbiaUniversity,criticizesthetalks,intendedtoreachanewglobaldealoncuttingcarbonemissionsbeyond2020,as‘noaction,justpromises’--TheGuardian,Dec.2015

T.ColinCampbell,PhD

“Whenitcomestoourfoodchoices,nolessthanour

futureasaspecieshangsinthebalance.”From2013book

•  TopNutritionalScientist•  ChallengedMeat/Dairy•  Careersufferedmightily•  EndofAcademicFreedom

RobertGoodland,PhDWorldBankEnvironmentalSpecialistfor23Years

Sept.2013“Nowthereappearstobeonlyoneremainingpragmaticwaytoreverseclimatechangebeforeit’stoolate–andthat’sbytakingquickandlarge-scaleactionsin

food,agricultureandforestry.”

2009“Livestockandtheirby-productsactuallyaccountforatleast32,564milliontonsofCO2peryearor51%ofannualworldwideGhGemissions.”

Arethingsgettingbetter?

FossilFuelReduction?

LivestockConsumptionbyRegion

Global Sea Ice (nsidc.org) Climate Change Tipping Point?-- Nov. 2016

Arctic Sea Ice (nsidc.org) Updated 4-23-17

Antarctic Sea Ice Updated 4-23-17

3 Times as Many Icebergs!

SpeciesExinction

August2010ReportfromtheU.N.

“Scientistsestimatethat150to200speciesof

plant,insect,birdandmammalbecomeextinct

every24hours…nearly1,000timesthe“natural”

or“background”rate…greaterthananythingthe

worldhasexperiencedfor65millionyears.”

MyOwnConclusionsAbout saving our civilization and our species

1.  Population.Consumption.FossilFuels.

2.   IFthereisachance,FOODisparamount

3.  Canmovetheneedleinfiveyears

ProteinMyth&LockedBrains

Preventing incredibly powerful plant-based solutions to our most serious health, hunger and sustainability issues from even making it to the

table for consideration.

TimeforSoulSearching

1.  Howcanwelearntolivesustainably?

2.  Adding220,000people/day(Net;birthsminusdeaths)

3.  Unbridledconsumption—inaworldoffiniteresources

4.  Whatwillittaketostopthemadness?

5.  Whatrealprogressdoyousee?Emmottseesnone.

6.  Whatareyougoingtodo?Yourownresearch,etc.

7.  Asforme,Istillhavehope…

Moneygotusinthismess…

“AutomaticallyReducestheCostofHealthcare”

BeforeHumansArrivedEasterIsland

Whathappenedtothetrees?

Dowehaveachance?

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,

committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed,

it is the only thing that ever has. — Margaret Mead

People who are crazy enough to think that they

can change the world—are the ones who do.

— Steve Jobs 

Blog:hpjmh.com

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4leafsurvey.com

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J.Morris(Jim)Hicks

[email protected]

917-399-9700